If there’s a symbol of the delicate equilibrium of Phu Quoc - of everything that’s so alluring about this island right now - this place has to be it: an open-sided beach shack just 10 metres away from the surf, with a thatched roof, tables and plastic chairs that sink into the sand. It is a view I noticed not far from where I stood on the beach (of Long Beach) while waiting for the sunset…the kind of sight that makes you realise how beautiful life is, peaceful and quiet, so humble…away from the so-called ‘crazy’ world I come from.
I couldn’t help it but to look some more…Mom cooks, daughter takes order, son makes the drinks. The family has clearly put all their money into the restaurant, which they run with great pride. There’s no credit-card machine, no telephone, no music, no TV showing Premier League soccer games. That a quiet, humble spot such as this could still exist seems a minor miracle. In many parts of the world, one is forever hearing about some bygone golden age. Well, in Phu Quoc, at this moment, it is 10 years ago or maybe more!
Vietnam currently ranks sixth in the world for tourism growth. But in order to make its mark as an Asian vacationland, it needs more than a handful of second-tier beach resorts. It needs a young, bankable star. And so Phu Quoc - like a wide-eyed kid blinking in the footlights - is being groomed for a splashy debut. A knowledgeable new-found friend I met in Phu Quoc by the name of Leo, told me that foreigners usually put this island last in their trail of vacation plan. Simply because – the island offers unmistakable down-to-earth relaxation indulgence, which is desired by most travellers prior to returning to their home country.
When I arrived from Saigon at Phu Quoc’s small airport, I was expecting someone holding a card with my name on it. But I was wrong – there, waving to me an old friend Mr X, who’s the Hotel Manager of the resort I’m heading to. While walking towards Mr X I couldn’t help but noticing my new surrounding. Yup…the airport was small with a ‘traditional’ feel. I was told by Mr X later that it could accommodate nothing larger than an ATR turboprop with ten to twelve daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City bringing in a maximum of 800 passengers. The remaining visitors - backpackers, mostly arrive from the mainland by ferry.
I hopped into the resort minivan and headed for Long Beach, a 12-mile sweep of hourglass-fine sand on the east coast, where most of Phu Quoc’s hotels and guesthouses are clustered. The roads are rough and layered with dust. Only a few motorbikes occupy the main highways, and some four-wheeled vehicles, and again…the occasional hotel minivan. The island’s unofficial capital, Duong Dong, has the tumbledown aspect of a frontier town. In the villages along the coast, the only time the collective pulse quickens is during one of the all-too-frequent blackouts, when the sputtering of generators breaks the pervasive calm.
Into this rustic scene has entered a guest adding to the time-honoured feel. The Long Beach Resort Phu Quoc, is one of Phu Quoc’s striking properties. This is no sprawling, soaring mega-resort – stretching along the pristine beach with 76 rooms and suites.
The look is unique architecture of Vietnam traditional village. And the setting, in contrast to the rough, dusty road beyond, is pure tropical bliss. The resort offers a new standard of exclusive and bespoke indulgence. Its unbridled luxury with obvious attention to design, details and pure escapism making the resort stand out like a three-tier cake!
How much you enjoy the resort depends on how much you insist on being taken care of. Those expecting minimal attention will do fine. But if you require one-hour laundry service or half-caf soy-milk lattes Long Beach Resort isn’t for you. Though the resort has a one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, the point is moot when 90 percent of the staff speaks only Vietnamese. Resort employees answer “yes” to every inquiry, even when they don’t understand the question. But then, how could one expect otherwise? Several months ago many of them were farmers or fishermen!
“Finding and training the staff has been a challenge,” the resort’s Manager, admits. “It is an island, after all.” I was told that the correct pronunciation for the island is “foo wok.” And the island hasn’t changed much as compared to how it was 15 years ago – the mountains, the jungle, the wonderful beaches, all of it relatively unspoiled. The feeling’s much the same now in Phu Quoc, I was again told.
One evening before the day of my departure, I spent a few hours exploring the beach (of Long Beach), burying my bare feet into the golden sands, watching some local kids diving themselves into the calm water…I could hear laughter everywhere. Happiness.
When nightfall approaches, I took a sit at one of the empty cabanas. As I looked out over the sea while sipping a can of cold beer, the sun casted the sky in shades of gold and lavender as lightning bolts lighted up the horizon. I felt a sense of deep peace inside. And I thought to myself – there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be at now, but here… - A
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